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Moroccan Muslim prostitutes are a favorite of Israeli Jews
What happens in Morocco: Israelis flock to flourishing sex tourism
The strengthening of diplomatic relations with Rabat may have brought some Israelis to appreciate the country's culture and people, but it also beat the path for some to take advantage of the North African nation's sex industry
One of Marrakesh’s most popular hotels located in the city’s center is mostly empty during noon. Two Israelis in their 20s are talking to the receptionist trying to get more towels brought to their room to no avail. I approach them and offer to help, and the receptionist smiles and ensures them they’ll get what they want.
“Thanks, man, are you Israeli?” One of them asks, to which I nod. The two present themselves as Yair and Sagi (assumed names) and ask me to go out with them as a way of thanking me.
Later that night, I knocked on the door of their hotel suite, and presented myself as an Israeli student who was visiting Morocco for the first time. “You have no idea how wild things are here,” Yair says. “It’s our third time here. The food is cheap, our suite costs us pennies, and most importantly – the women are amazing.”
Sex trafficking in a taxi
Welcome to Marrakesh, the new prime destination for Israeli sex tourism. Officially, sex tourism is nonexistent in Morocco. Prostitution has been illegal in the country since the 1970s, with a penalty of up to one year in prison. In 2003, the Moroccan government also included sex tourism as a criminal offense in its penal code. This, however, hasn't stopped the practice.
Morocco's unique combination of an Arab country relatively open to the Western world, coupled with its economic hardship, has positioned the country as one of the global hubs for sex tourism and human trafficking for prostitution.
In 2015, the Moroccan Health Ministry estimated the number of women involved in prostitution to be around 50,000, with a majority concentrated in the Marrakesh region. According to UN estimates, the number is even higher, at around 75,000.
A local government inquiry found that in many cases, despite being a traditional Islamic society, women are pushed into prostitution by their own families, sometimes at very young ages. Other Moroccan women are sold to men in the Saharan region who use them in ways that would the vulgar description of a sex slave.
Many of the Moroccan women in prostitution rings are single mothers, who became pregnant outside of wedlock or were divorced, estranged from their families, and turned to the sex industry as a means of supporting themselves and their children. There is also male prostitution in Morocco, but it is less common, as homosexuality is illegal.
Last year, 11 million tourists visited Morocco, with approximately 70,000 of them being Israelis. It is estimated that in 2023, the number of Israeli tourists to the country will triple. The majority of them come to enjoy the exotic tourist sites, vibrant markets, and rich cultural heritage of this beautiful North African country.
Some of them also come for heritage trips and to explore the Jewish history that flourished here. However, an Israeli investigation into tourism to the country reveals that alongside all of these, many Israelis have also discovered the local sex industry, and in Marrakesh, women in prostitution have already learned some sentences in Hebrew.
Prostitution is found everywhere in Marrakesh. It starts as soon as you land at the Marrakesh Menara Airport. After finding my suitcase, I’m directed to a taxi driver called Yousef. Yousef wonders what I've come to do in the city and if I'm married. “I’m here to enjoy myself,” I replied.
After exchanging a few more words about nightlife and tourist attractions in Marrakesh, Yousef reached into his glove compartment and pulled out a blue folder when we stopped at a red light. "Take a look and choose whoever you want," he said. "What you see is what you get."
In the folder was a variety of pictures of women, mostly Moroccans, with some Europeans, alongside their age and country of origin. A flesh market that’s organized, priced, and wrapped in a blue, battered folder.
Yousef looked at me through the rearview mirror, waiting for me to choose. "I prefer younger women," I tried to say, wanting to avoid choosing without raising suspicion. Yousef, however, doesn't hesitate. He opened his WhatsApp and entered a group.
There, I was shown pictures of girls, ranging from ages 11 to 16, completely nude. Next to each picture were details about the girls, who their contact was, how old they were, and where they were located. “I’m not into that,” I told him before he stopped in front of my hotel.
Under cover of night
Before leaving for Marrakesh, I contacted a local friend, Emil (assumed name), who knows the city well, including its darker sides. When evening falls, Emil picks me up, and we head to Jemaa el-Fnaa.
This expansive and famous square is located at the entrance to the old city, known as the Medina, and is surrounded by shops, cafes, markets, bustling traffic, and tourist groups, including many Hebrew speakers.
It's a charming tourist area, especially at night, but that’s only on the surface. You don’t have to do much searching for the city’s darker aspects, they tend to find you. At the western end of the square, not far from the famous Kutubiyya Mosque, is a small garden called Arset El-Bilk.
It's an abandoned area where ancient trees serve as a shady refuge for opportunistic tourists during the scorching days of August. But at night, the garden paths turn into a hub for the local sex industry. Women in the prostitution ring, as well as a few men, sit on the benches, and potential “clients” wander among them, inspecting them.
The voices speaking in Hebrew were hard to miss in the garden, and during our stroll in the area, we came across several Israeli groups. Emil and I approached one of them, trying to listen in. They were three men in their twenties, and it was clear they saw this as any regular trip to the market.
"This one’s ugly, do you really think I’d fuck her?!” one of them said to his friend as they walked past a bench where a woman was sitting. "Let’s move on and see what other options we have," his friend replied.
We continued walking next to them. After about 200 meters, the three stopped near two young women. One of the Israelis approached to negotiate in English. “They're willing to join us, and each wants 200 dirhams." One of the group’s members commented this was an excellent deal: "That’s pocket change, let's take them."
They continued down the road, flagged down two taxis, and got into them, on their way to their hotel or the villa they had rented. After all, 400 dirhams, about 150 shekels, is “pocket change.”
Emil then takes me to Parc Lalla Hasna, found south of the Kutubiyya Mosque, which is named after Princess Lalla Hasna of Morocco. The place is dark and dilapidated, and also plays a part in the local sex industry during nighttime. By now, Israelis have also learned of this.
Jewish Israeli man with the Muslim Moroccan girl at Parc Lalla Hasna
A man in his 30s passes us by, accompanied by a girl looking to be 12 or 13 at most. The man speaks Hebrew excitedly on his phone, telling his companion on the other side he’ll be arriving with the “merchandise” shortly. He hugs the girl closer, and continues walking. The two then leave the park and enter a taxi.
We return to the market at Jemaa el-Fnaa Square. Even at this late hour of the night, tourists travel among the stalls, and here too, there's no need to make an effort to find the city’s sex industry. "Come, Habibi," a woman says, trying to solicit me in the middle of the square. I shake my head and continue to wander the stalls with Emil.
Morocco is trying to combat human trafficking and pedophilia that thrive in it, but when it comes to women in the prostitution ring, Moroccan authorities are ambivalent. On one hand, this activity, as mentioned, is illegal; on the other hand, it is clear to everyone that sex tourists are a significant driver of the tourism industry, one of Morocco's main economic sectors.
This is why the authorities don’t fight prostitution as well as they could, but aren’t very pleased when the issue is discussed publicly. During this investigative report, I requested, for example, to speak with representatives of international support organizations that assist Moroccan women in the prostitution ring. Most of them were extremely hesitant to give a response.
According to the U.S.’s 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in Morocco, “The [Moroccan] government enforced strict procedures limiting journalists’ meetings with NGO representatives and political activists. Foreign journalists were required to request approval from the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports before meeting with political activists, which they did not always receive. There were several reports of arrests and charges based on social media activity.”
But one representative did agree to meet, on the condition that I don’t disclose her name or the organization she works for, fearing for her safety. I met Yasmin (assumed name) at a restaurant in the Medina market, after she called me several times asking to relocate the meeting.
She recounted workers from her organization have vanished, and that "torture, degradation, cruel, inhuman punishment, and degrading treatment is routine”
"I need to protect myself," she explained when we finally met. Fear was evident in her eyes, which darted around every several moments, searching for an undercover police officer. She recounted workers from her organization have vanished, and that "torture, degradation, cruel, inhuman punishment, and degrading treatment is routine.”
According to her, her organization, which deals with social activities, is well aware of the rise of Israeli involvement in sex tourism in Morocco. "Unfortunately, Morocco is competing with Thailand for the top spot in the world in sex tourism," Yasmin said.
"Since the diplomatic agreement signed between Israel and Morocco, tourism between the countries has expanded significantly, including the participation of some Israeli tourists in the sex tourism industry that’s been present here for years. We have testimonies from women we aid regarding Israeli tourists' demand for prostitution. Furthermore, criminal organizations have also found a hotbed here,” she added.
How do Israelis reach Muslim women in prostitution in Morocco?
"Some Israelis reach them through word of mouth, while others have a discreet presence on social networks," Yasmin explained. "Some come through local intermediaries, and the rest find them in well-known tourist areas."
There’s also another method: "Muslim Women have reported meeting Israeli men, and from there, some of them passed on their WhatsApp numbers to friends who passed them on to other Jewish friends."
Amir (assumed name), a 32-year-old man from central Israel, is one of the Israelis who have turned the city into their preferred destination for Halal sex tourism. "I've been to Marrakesh more than five times," he said. "I was even there during the COVID-19 pandemic. I heard about the Muslim prostitutes from friends, but it wasn’t until I got there that I realized what they meant."
How did you find these Muslim women?
"I met them in clubs and on the streets. You can see prostitutes in all the tourist areas, in clubs, some restaurants, and cafes. Now I have a regular hotel in the city center that I always go to. Lately, I've been in a relationship with a Moroccan woman. We meet regularly and enjoy each other's company."